Biden claims Romney wants war with Iran and Syria

(CNN) – Vice President Joe Biden claimed Sunday that Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee, might engage in war with Syria and Iran if elected president in November.

“He said it was a mistake to end the war in Iraq and bring all of our warriors home,” Biden said at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania. “He said it was a mistake to set an end date for our warriors in Afghanistan and bring them home. He implies by the speech that he’s ready to go to war in Syria and Iran.”

While Romney supports President Barack Obama’s deadline of September 2014 for withdrawing all troops from Afghanistan, he says timelines like Obama’s cause allies to question America’s commitment to helping countries recover from war. The Iraq withdrawal, completed at the end of last year, drew criticism from Romney, who characterized the move as either inept or driven by political motives.

“I believe that you listen to the commanders on the ground and understand from them what the timetable is to transition entirely to the Iraqi military,” Romney said in October.